


Harbinger of Spring

by Selah



Series: Pokefusion [2]
Category: Jrock, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Ladies Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 09:59:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18258995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: Some days Kaya felt strong enough to take on the whole world. Some days all she could really do was try to help others.





	Harbinger of Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "light-hearted" square of my Ladies Bingo card, at Kaya's insistence, so she/her is used for Kaya throughout. Sparked by some meta talking about how the Pokemon League is incredibly inaccessible to most disabled trainers and some other meta about how, outside of the League, the Pokemon partners you see are more likely to be friends and helpers, not competitively trained fighters.
> 
> Kaya named most of her Pokemon, so Ellie for Gardevoir, Basa for Blaziken. Saa named himself (which is also why he calls her Great Lady).

Some days, you just wanted to get out there, to see everything and meet every challenge head on. Prove you really were the best of the best in your field, whatever that field might be. That nothing could and nothing would keep you down.

Some days, you were doing good to just get out of bed.

Kaya was currently having one of the latter.

“Gar?”

“I'm all right, Ellie,” she said, trying to wave off her partner's concern.

“Gar de.”

She didn't have to even look to tell her Gardevoir didn't believe her. That was the problem with psychic types, really – if you trained them long enough, they would get to where you couldn't actually lie to them anymore.

_:I will send Basa to the market. He can at least manage that much.:_

“Ellie, really.”

_:With a list, of course.:_

Kaya sighed, a small smile crawling onto her lips at the feel fo Ellie's leafy hand brushing against her forehead. The nearest market was family owned, a nice older couple Kaya had known since moving to Akala Island after her semi-retirement. Gramma Zhou didn't know Ellie's handwriting wasn't Kaya's own at this point and she was happy to keep it that way.

_:Tea will be ready in ten minutes. Do you need help with your shower?:_

“I'm not completely helpless, Ellie,” she scolded, scowling at the ceiling. A soft pop and her Kadabra, Saa, was hovering above the foot of her bed, giving her his usual look of quiet expectation. They were ganging up on her, she could feel it.

“You're as bad as each other, I hope you know that,” she grumbled, scrunching down further in bed. Neither said anything, just watched her until, with a dramatic sigh, Kaya finally pulled herself upright. As usual, the little voice in the back of her head that sounded entirely too much like her mother insisted that there was nothing physically wrong with her, that she was being dramatic and lazy for no reason.

_:Your illness is not imaginary, Great Lady,:_ Saa sent, a gentle rebuke underlying his words. _:I will make the tea, Ellie will stay with you.:_

Kaya wanted to argue that she was fine, but she knew better than to try arguing with Saa at this point. He was too keen a psychic, he saw through all her masks, even the ones she aimed at herself. Easing herself off the bed, she let Ellie steady her as she made her way to the bathroom and even let the Gardevoir wash her back without comment. Kaya could feel the way her partner liked being able to help her, a warm glow that, for now, was enough to banish the negative voices inside of her mind.

A hot shower, her favorite light sweater, and a hot cup of tea with a poached egg on rice. Sometimes it really was the little things that could make all the difference. Between that and the steady infusion of warmth as Ellie insisted on brushing and then braiding her hair, by the time Basa was back from the market, Kaya was feeling very nearly like a fully functional human being again.

“Blaze! Blaze blaze blaze!”

With absolutely no idea what had gotten her Blaziken so worked up, Kaya turned to Ellie for a translation. Her partner tilted her head to one side, asking Basa something and getting back an answer that Kaya still didn't understand. A cough and Ellie turned to her with a small smile.

_:It's the start of spring, the first Shaymin of the season has been spotted, or at least that's what he's been told. Trial Captain Nadia is going after it.:_

“Oh is that all,” she said, smiling a little. Nadia had just been promoted to Trial Captain this past season, and at all of fourteen, she was the youngest Trial Captain in Akala's history. Kaya remembered wishing the girl well at the same time she had been smothering her own frustration over the issue; no one had even _asked_ if she would like the job when Trial Captain Kaid got recruited to a professional team over in Johto.

“Blaze!”

“Gar de.”

“BLAZE!”

“Um, guys?” Kaya asked, watching her two Pokemon.

_:He thinks you should take us to hunt the Shaymin. With our Shay.:_

Kaya sat back, a little stunned. She didn't exactly go around showing off her Shaymin; the herald of spring was one of the more common of the so-called mythical Pokemon, but still rare and tricky to catch and train. To do as Basa suggested felt unreasonably confrontational. She certainly didn't need to catch a _second_ Shaymin, nor was there any reason for her to be disrupting Nadia's quest like that.

_:He is still angry on your behalf. He thinks you should be Trial Captain, not the girl. No, that is not accurate. He thinks you should be one of the Elite Four of the Islands League.:_

“He's not entirely wrong,” Kaya said, shrugging as she started washing her dishes. “But they didn't ask if I was interested in being a Trial Captain. And we all know what would happen if I tried to be in an Elite Four.”

“Blaze!”

“Fair or not, it is what it is,” Kaya repeated, hoping she was guessing right about what Basa was saying. Just doing her few dishes had been enough to make her hands hurt. Sighing, she moved back to her favorite recliner and the fresh tea Saa was in the middle of pouring for her. Basa was still muttering in her kitchen as he put away the groceries and she had to smile at that. Having raised him from a baby Torchic, his loyalty was hardly a surprise, but it still made her smile. Hot-headed as he could be, she knew he wouldn't go off and do anything without her.

~*~*~

Kaya hadn't entirely meant to doze off, startled awake by a sudden rapping at her door. A flurry of motion as the majority of her Pokemon rushed back into their balls, leaving her with just Ellie to walk with her to the front door. Kaya was startled to see Nadia at her door, all tear-stained cheeks and despair.

“I ... I'm sorry, ma'am, I....”

“Nadia? What are you even...?”

“It ran away!” the girl wailed before throwing herself at Kaya. Those words were entirely inadequate warning and all three of them ended up on the floor, Ellie squeaking soft protest from the bottom of the pile.

“Nadia ... Nadia, you have to let us up,” Kaya said, trying to pry the girl's clutching fingers out of her sweater. “Nadia, Gardevoir will smother if you don't let us up.”

A white lie, but an effective one. With a squeak, Nadia jumped up to her feet. Kaya rolled over so Ellie could get up, grateful to her partner when leafy arms helped her back up to her feet as well.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry,” Nadia babbled, bowing repeatedly.

“Nadia, it's all right, no permanent damage done, I don't think,” Kaya replied, smiling for her young guest. “Now ... what happened?”

“They ... they spotted a Shaymin up in the mountain pass, so I went after it. But even after I found it and fought it and used my best ball, it just ... it ran away!” Nadia blurted out in a rush. “It ran away! How could it just run away after all that?!?!”

“Because that's what happens,” Kaya said, glancing over her shoulder at Ellie. Her Gardevoir was already making tea, little spores dancing down her arms to infuse the tea with additional soothing properties. Perhaps not entirely above board, but inasmuch as Nadia was practically hysterical, it could, perhaps, be allowed this once.

“Do you ... um, do you know you have Pokeballs just laying around all over?” Nadia asked. Kaya needed a second, then laughed as she realized the girl was right. Everyone had been in such a rush, her Kadabra had forgotten to wait to clean them up.

“Not usually,” she said, studying the chaos of her lounge before picking out the right Great Ball and pressing the button. Saa popped out immediately with his usual little posturing roar. And then he blinked and looked around the room. It was enough, she could feel his chagrin as he then bowed his silent apology. The other balls then started to move, gathering together and following Saa out of the room.

“What ... what just happened?”

“As young as you are, I suppose most of your Pokemon are still half wild, yes?”

“W-well sort of,” Nadia admitted, thanking Ellie for the tea without, it seemed, even realizing what she was doing. Kaya had to smile at that, accepting her own tea with a murmur of thanks.

“I caught Saa, my first Abra, when I was younger than you are now,” Kaya explained with a patient smile. “We have been working together now for ... a long time.”

“I ...really? But then ... I don't understand,” Nadia said, frowning. “The others say you're a Pokemon trainer, but you don't compete? But if that's true then ... what's the point? Why keep so many Pokemon if you aren't even using them for anything?”

“Just because I can't keep up with the official tournament pace anymore, that hardly means I'm not doing anything with my Pokemon,” she said, frowning a bit herself. Familiar melancholy rose up in her chest ... and then it was being pulled out of her as Ellie came to stand behind her chair. Right, now was no time for self-pity.

“Didn't anyone explain to you?” she asked instead.

“No,” Nadia replied, shaking her head. “I mean when I got the promotion, Kaid said if I ever had a Pokemon problem, I should come to you because you knew more than even Kahuna Olivia did, but no one ever explained how that worked.”

“I was taking the long track on the tournament circuit, I had the collected badges for Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Kalos when I had my accident. At first, I thought I could just keep going, but ... the Pokemon Leagues really aren't accessible for someone like me.”

“Wait, you mean you've faced off against the regional champions in five different leagues??”

“And won,” Kaya said, smiling and nodding.

“But ... if you're that good, then why aren't you a Gym Leader somewhere? Or at least a Trial Captain here!”

“Garde,” Ellie said with a low snort of disgust. Kaya had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

“Huh?”

“That's the same question my Pokemon keep asking me. I had to move to Alola for my health, after my accident, so since you don't have gyms here.... A few of my Pokemon think I should have been named a Trial Captain, but Kahuna Olivia didn't ask.”

“They told me Kaid was the one to pick me.”

“It's possible,” Kaya said with a nod. “Kahuna Olivia's the type to listen to her captains.”

“... does that mean I could give it to you?” Nadia asked with an open earnestness that made her look even younger than her fourteen years.

“Probably not,” Kaya replied, smiling through the pain of that truth.

“But why not?!”

“Because it isn't up to you. Trial Captains are picked by the island Kahuna. Olivia already didn't ask me, she isn't going to do it now just because you feel guilty, Nadia. It's fine, I made my peace with not being able to compete anymore a long time ago. But if you need help, I'm always here. In fact ... what are you doing this weekend?”

“Um. Trial challenges, probably. Why?”

“Tell everyone you need to take a day for yourself,” Kaya said, Ellie already going to fetch her laptop. “You and I need to take a trip.”

“We ... we do?”

“You still want to catch a Shaymin, yes?” Kaya asked, giving Nadia a curious look. The young teen flushed and sat down her teacup, rubbing her palms on her thighs.

“Well yeah, but....”

“So reschedule trials and we'll go where I met mine. After we get you a Master ball.”

Nadia's eyes grew almost comically wide at that, Kaya had to bite back another laugh.

“You ... you would help me like that?”

“Of course, why wouldn't I?”

“But ... aren't you angry? You worked so hard to be a Pokemon trainer and now....”

“And now I draw a modest pension and ghostwrite materials for a couple Professors, so no, not that angry,” she replied, smiling for Nadia's benefit. It was even mostly true, most of the time. Would she like more? Of course. But she had tried to keep up with the championships after her accident and the fatigue and chronic pain had, in the end, defeated her even more than her competition. Semi-retirement had been her only option.

“I ... I don't know how I can thank you....”

“Helping is why I'm here, Nadia. Just because I don't have 'Professor' in front of my name, well, it doesn't mean I can't help.”

The warm glow of approval she could fee from Ellie was almost enough to make her believe her own words.

~*~*~

Kaya kept her game face on as she accepted Nadia's enthusiastic parting hug. And still she was grateful when, without even being asked, Saa teleported them from the port back to their small house just outside Heahea City. Dropping her bags beside the couch, Kaya collapsed onto it with a low groan.

“This? This is why I don't do tournaments anymore, Basa,” she scolded, even though her Blaziken was currently still in his ball in her purse.

_:He is never going to understand, you know,:_ Ellie teased, light fingers starting to undo Kaya's braid. She laughed a little at that, recognizing the truth in her partner's words. Basa would never understand why his strength wasn't enough to support her. Maybe if the Professors weren't so bloody determined to make sure only their definition of “best of the best” made it to Elite Four and Champion status....

_:Relax. We helped Nadia, even if she wasn't able to find another Shaymin. She has the Master ball now, if she is meant to catch one, she will. And now you know for sure you can get what you need without ever having to go back to Hoenn. Is that not enough to make today a success?:_

Ellie had a point. Kaya hummed as she carefully stretched her legs out on the couch, wincing at a familiar twinge in her hips. Too much hiking, even with her specialized boots. She was going to be paying for it tomorrow.

As if to remind her _why_ she had been doing all that hiking, a Net ball rose out of her bags. She hadn't really bothered with the bug-type Pokemon when she had been training her team and herself in the early days. It just wasn't a type she had actively wanted for her team, putting off collecting them for later or maybe never. But the shiny Vivillion had been too beautiful for her to resist. Maybe using her Shaymin to catch it had been a little petty, but it had worked. And silenced Nadia for a good hour. Completely worth it, in her opinion.

“All right, Ellie, all right. Point made. Now help me up to the bath? I don't think I can get there on my own at this point.”

_:Fortunate tomorrow is already a traditional day of rest,:_ Ellie said as she helped Kaya to her feet. _:We will manage the chores. You will rest. No business calls, no working.:_

“Tyrant,” she huffed, though she couldn't completely stop herself from smiling. Ellie might be a tyrant at times, but that firmness was a large part of why Kaya's Pokemon stayed, even though she couldn't train them, battle them as she had before the accident.

_:We stay because we love you. And because you need us,:_ Ellie scolded lightly, supporting her weight as they made slow progress to the bath. _:When you are recovered, you should talk to Professor Kukui again about guest lecturing at his Pokemon school. You have the knowledge, more than even him.:_

“About Pokemon in general, yes, but not about Alola Pokemon,” she said with a shake of her head.

_:I am confident you would learn it quickly.:_

“He's going to say the only way to learn is the face the Island Challenge,” Kaya said, sighing in relief as Ellie helped her into the warm waters of the tub.

_:Do you doubt we could?:_

“Ellie ... I'm retired, remember?”

_:Semi-retired. The Island Challenge is not the same as the other Leagues. The Kahunas let everyone take it at their own pace.:_

“... you've been sneaking behind my back again, haven't you?” she asked, trying to summon up a glare for her partner and failing. If Ellie was right, if her partner truly did think Kaya could handle the Challenge, could she really turn that down? Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the wall of the tub. Did she really have the stamina to be going back to active competition? Today's adventures suggested the answer was “no,” but if she could wrangle some accommodations.... It might be worth considering, at least.


End file.
